The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim set off a bang in the video game world this month. It will likely be video game of the year a few times over. Skyrim is another part to a series set in the fantasy world of Tamriel, a world filled with mystical creatures, folklore, and even its own history. It's quite the beatuiful and immersive experience. If you have not picked up the game yet, please do (my fiancée even plays!). Also, make sure to buy it new, so the hard working coders at Bethesda get the money they deserve!

Fans of the Elder Scrolls series who have been playing since day one, or even fans who started from Oblivion, may notice that the game is quite different with the new leveling system. Personally, I think it is a huge improvement over the last system, and find it far superior. However, it takes a great deal longer to level up, as opposed to the former games.

Skyrim's experience system is more intelligent than its predecessors. Before, a player could raise their skills simply by casting a spell repeatedly, or jumping over and over (if you were an acrobat). The new engine in Skyrim only grants experience when the skill is used in a practical manner. Meaning, casting Conjure Flame Atronach will not give me experience unless the atronach sees battle, or Fireball, which doesn't grant experience unless the spell damages someone. Experience is also determined by point values, so the more damage you do, the more your spells cost, or the more it heals, the more experience you will recieve.

This system is not perfect, just like everything else. Null Byte is here to exploit every weakness we can in this leveling system to level up as quickly as possible. These are great little exploits and can be used to raise all of your spellcasting skills to 100 rather quickly. If you aren't the spellcasting type, request for me to write them for your class, and in three parts we can have a complete list of stat exploitation. This list is just what I have gathered from playing over the last week, so better methods may exist, but I doubt it.

These exploits do not require you to have skill perks.

It is recommended that you have the Mage Stone active.

Illusion

The School of Illusion involves manipulating the mind of the enemy. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Fear, Charm, and Invisibility.

Purchase the spell Muffle and cast it repeatedly. I raised my Illusion from 27 to 100 in 2 hours by casting this repeatedly. This skill raises XP no matter what, because it always muffles footsteps, regardless of circumstance.

Purchase the spell Courage and repeatedly cast it on an NPC. This will arguably raise your skill even faster than the previous method I used, but I have not tested it enough.

Conjuration

The School of Conjuration governs raising the dead or summoning creatures from Oblivion. This skill makes it easier to cast these spells, as well as Soul Trap and bindings.

Purchase Soul Trap and cast it on a dead body...over and over. This is a cool exploit. It works because the spell effects the body as if it were still alive, so you will continue to get experience. You have no idea how much faster this is than doing it normally (or maybe you do?).

Destruction

The School of Destruction is the art of using the elements to physically damage your opposition.

Summon either a Fire or Frost Atronach, and kill it with its opposing element (i.e. fire for frost atronach (recommended), and ice for flame). Since you are using the opposite element, your attacks do double damage and you can get in a bunch of hits before they will attack you back. This raises a ton for destruction, but also levels your Conjuration skill.

Restoration

The School of Restoration involves control over life forces. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Healing, Turn Undead, and magical Wards.

Balance. Casting spells that balance others out to raise skills rapidly. Use Helping Hands to heal someone while simultaneously hitting them with destruction spells.

Use Equilibrium (procured from Labarythian) while cast a healing spell. One raises your magicka by depleting health, while the other raises your health by delpleting magicka. How ingenious!

Alteration

The School of Alteration involves the manipulation of the physical world and its natural properties. This skill makes it easier to cast spells like Waterbreathing, magical protection, and Paralysis.

Cast Waterbreathing in a puddle of water repeatedly. This tricks the game into thinking you are submerged.

Pick up and throw an object repeatedly with Telekinesis.

Use Equilibrium (gotten from Labarythian) while casting a healing spell. Again.

Cast a spell like Stoneflesh while next to an enemy that can't get to you, or one that doesn't see you.

Buy as much iron ore as you can, and cast Trasmute, which will change it into silver, and then the silver into gold. It raises the skill a bunch, and makes you tons of money.

Enchanting

The more powerful the enchanter, the stronger the magic he can bind to his weapons and armor.

Drink potions before enchanting to enhance the skill and increase it faster.

Enchant everything you find.

Disenchant everything that you do not have an enchantment for.

Sap your enchanted weapons charge, and then refill it with a soul gem. The more you fill it, the better.

Whew, that was a doozy! Come join me in the IRC channel or start discussions in our forums. You can also follow me on Twitter and G+ for the latest Null Byte updates.

22 Comments

get enchanting to 100 by using the repel undead enchantment on iron daggers (make the daggers) and get the perk for bound sword that does sword trap. go to creeks for easy mud crapb souls. when ur at 100 then enchant ur armor or jewlrey to resist magic or any kind of element :)

Have 2, 3 or even 4 wolves attack you while using (novice heal) to upgrade armor and restoration "just like the rats in oblivion". Enchant a sword with drain health and drain stamina. Hold heal while attacking mages untill you get proper armor.

I have one addition i noticed yesterday: If you disable 'Auto-save on wait' and wait for one hour, your magicka will be restored to max again instantly. This way you can level quite good, the bigger your magicka the better of course :) I do this now everytime i wait for a store to open or something else where i have to pass in game time.

Also there is a blessing i found yesterday which gives you spell resistance, a bigger magicka pool, but lesser regeneration of it. Could be used to make the above method even more useful :)

This could also be useful for you Chris Hatchett ;) When I'm encountering casting enemies i usually try to get close to them as fast as possible, because most of the time they will switch to attacking you with their dagger which is a lot less dangerous :) But i havn't played the game for too long so there are most likely better tips out there.

One I like is getting the atronach stone. then use a ward and get hit by wolves. Ward depletes magicka but the wolves will replenish it when they hit you cause of atronach stone. Can also use a healing for leveling restoration too.

for destruction just go to companions (fighting the guy to prove ur armor. first companion quest) or some legate guy at a imperial camp and cast flames or flame wall (can b done with any elemental spell) on them. heall them with a spell and they will get back up. i prefer companions cuz he wont kill u and if u hit him enough u can finish the rest of the quests

For alteration I played catch with a bucket using telekinesis, for about 10 minutes, and I leveled to 100. Having clothing on to help in magika regen. Helps. For conjuration, I would summon a low level dremora, then banish it. Constantly. That also let me level up very quick. In regards to enchanting, I made hundreds of daggers, or jewelry, then enchant them, then sell it. So I was leveling my smithing, enchating, and speech in an easy pattern.